Planning for Photography Tour to Turkey

Terry kathryn, I haven't worked in the travel business, but in the same situation, I'd probably structure the trip in somewhat the same way as a RS "My Way" tour. Begin by creating the basic structure.... > Decide on a time frame, starting and ending cities, the route you'll follow, how many days in each stop and possible activities in each stop. In addition to the photography, it will be more interesting (IMO) if you include some culture or history, perhaps with a local Guide. > Decide on a Hotel in each location. Prepare instructions on the best way for participants to get from the airport to Hotel. > Arrange a social with drinks on the evening before the Workshop begins, so that everyone can introduce themselves and perhaps give a rough idea of their goals. > Prepare a guideline of the photo events in each stop, including image review or critique in a few spots. > Provide some free time in a few locations, so that participants can explore a bit on their own. Suggest that they purchase a copy of the LP Turkey Guidebook (RS only has Istanbul) so that they can tour locations that are of interest to them. > Stay in the starting location for a few days, both for photography and to allow everyone to get "acclimatized". > Pre-book Hotels in each stop. Check Guidebooks or Trip Advisor for possibilities. Consider not only the price range but also the area. It would probably be better to book a "block" of rooms, as there may be a discount. Ensure that breakfast is included, and get some ideas on what the typical breakfast consists of. Continued....

Part 2.... > For transportation, either use local public transport or a charter Bus as the tours do (perhaps a Mini-Bus, depending on what's available and the cost). Public transport could be difficult with a group of 24, as local Buses likely wouldn't have the capacity for a group that size, plus their regular passengers. Where trains are available, it could work. The Bus would only be needed about two days after the start of the workshop, and could be dropped on arrival at the last stop. The cost should be manageable with a group of 24? > Prepare information for members of the group to get to the local airports or whatever after the Workshop concludes. Keep in mind that some may be returning home right away, while others may be travelling to other locations in Europe. This is going to be a somewhat complicated and very time consuming endeavor to set-up, but it's possible. You may want get some help, as it's going to be a lot of work! These are a few ideas to get you started. Good luck!

If you decide that you'll need a tour director, I know of one who is absolutely fabulous and he is a photographer too! He works for a few different tour companies, and I believe he also will take on groups independently. He lives in Izmir, but does tours throughout Turkey.

The co-authors of RS Istanbul Guide Book own a travel agency in Istanbul and provided our tour guide for last summers 14 day Turkey Tour. I do not have that guide book with me here but if you find one, check out who they are and you might consider contacting them for suggestions. I took LOTS of pictures in Turkey!

Thanks everybody.... I have set up a number of 'photo workshops' in Costa Rica and Mexico, but the participants just showed up at the hotel where we were holding the workshops, and everyone was on their own as far as hotels, flights, etc. But, last year we took a group to Spain & Morocco and although we (another photographer and I) set out an itinerary, we had a tour company that handled all the rest and we just met our guide in Spain, and this May we are going to Budapest, Prague & Vienna, but the company has not been as responsive as we would like, so I probably need a tour company recommendation that is flexible with an itinerary. I am going to Turkey this summer so I will have a little knowledge of what we want to do, but am at a loss as to a tour company in the US. I am a little leary of not having a company here set it up. I have heard the RS Turkey guides are great and would hope to be able to use them in Turkey. But, I need a good tour company here. I went to the AAA office and they were not helpful, they wanted us to take a tour they already had set up. Maybe I just need to tell the current company we are going to fire them unless they step up. They are in Canada and the guy we deal with is French and he seems to spend half the time on vacation, and some of our people get frustrated when he doesn't respond right away. @Ken... I will definitely post my 'tentative itinerary' for you to critique once I get it together. But, I want a company to handle all the details and bookings...
@Bonnie..does your friend work through any tour companies based here in the US?

Terry kathryn, Have a look at This Website or This Website to see if either of these agencies might be what you're looking for. The second agency offers a photography tour, and can also design custom tours. Cheers!

If you have 18-24 people (which is the size of most RS tour groups) why don't you talk to someone at RS Travel and see if you can customize a tour for your group? I have done several photography workshops but not to a country like Turkey but I would imagine some interesting places are quite remote. One of the secrets to getting good photographs is getting out early and staying out till after the sun sets, usually missing normal diner time with mid day the being the least opportune time to be photographing. If you can have them customize a schedule for your group that would be best. Happy planning!

Hi Terry kathryn, I also have a friend in Boston who is a airline ticket consolidator. He can try and set you up with some tour companies that he works with on a daily basis. He is from Turkey originially, so he may have some suggestions of places to visit. I will PM you with his name. :)

@Lisa I have talked to RS and it seems they are not interested in changing their schedule (which I understand... they have a system and it works) I was even out there a few years ago and personally spoke to someone and again... no interest. I just emailed and asked about the My Way and they aren't doing Turkey.
We obviously don't want to adhere to a schedule that is set up for tons of sightseeing and history buffs, we need it to work around our schedule. So...unless someone from there changes their mind, which I would be happy to have happen. It would be less work for them as we are really independent and don't need a lot of direction, we just need the hotels, meals, transportation, etc. taken care of. So, I am still trying to work it out.

One of the US tour companies I know he works with is the EF grouping: Go Ahead Tours would be the one you'd probably want, as they work with you to make a customized tour.

Last fall I took an Eastern Turkey tour with Melitour. We have a great time. Mely, the owner /guide used to be a RS Turkey guide and she is the lady guide with RS in his video of Turkey. You can check more about her and her tours on her website -Melitour.